Thank you for joining me for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 491 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. Every Wednesday along life’s trails we dig for the nuggets of wisdom that are found within the book of Proverbs. Today we will explore the 2nd half of chapter 24.
We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. On the day this podcast is released, Paula and I will be heading to Arizona to work with our partners on our construction projects in Mesa. Phase I of the project is winding down, and we are starting to plan Phase II. The beginning of the next phase is dependent on sales of the units that are currently built, so the actual start date is not known for sure. Since our company is the general contractor and not the actual developer, we do have some other projects that may fill the gap between the two phases.
Planning is so important in projects large and small, and King Solomon was considered one of the greatest builders of all time. He addresses this in the passage that we are exploring today when he tells us in verse 27…
Let’s start our trek with verses 17 and 18…
17 Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall;
don’t be happy when they stumble.
18 For the Lord will be displeased with you
and will turn his anger away from them.
Our natural tendencies are to rejoice or gloat when something bad happens to those that have hurt us or are against us. We should do the opposite, though. We should love them, help them, and pray for them. God may be taking them through a time of testing to bring them to Him. If we rejoice and gloat, God will be displeased with our actions, and turn His trials away from them.
19 Don’t fret because of evildoers;
don’t envy the wicked.
20 For evil people have no future;
the light of the wicked will be snuffed out.
It is so easy to get caught up in the lifestyle and habits of those who desire to do evil. We may even become attracted to it. We should not be fooled. Those who practice evil have no hope because their hope and faith is based on falsehood.
21 My child, fear the Lord and the king.
Don’t associate with rebels,
22 for disaster will hit them suddenly.
Who knows what punishment will come
from the Lord and the king?
God has control of the leaders of every country. He allows certain leaders to be in power and others to be disposed. We should not rise up with those who rebel against the God permitted...
